Sunday, March 13th, 2011

"Lookin' For A Love"

Jeff Tweedy covers Neil Young

Austin NelsonWilco shows tend to be pretty planned-out affairs – it’s hard to be too spontaneous with song selection with six band members and attendant gear and sound changes – but get frontman Jeff Tweedy out on his own and apparently it’s a much more open-ended affair.

Witness this live solo recording – undated but I suspect it may come from an acoustic 1999 show at Chicago’s now-departed Lounge Ax, confirmation or other info welcome – he indulges some audience requests for a Neil Young cover by going back to 1975’s Zuma, if just to silence them. It will be interesting to see if he’s so patient or obliging when he sets out on a short solo tour next week, kicking off with two nights at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto on March 22 and 23. You think anyone in Toronto would want to request some Neil Young?

Wilco are wrapping up work on album number eight, due out later this year. Neil Young is getting ready to tour last year’s Le Noise and while that doesn’t include a T.O. stop, he will be in town on March 27 to pick up a special humanitarian award at this year’s Junos, where he’s also nominated for Artist Of The Year and Adult Alternative Album Of The Year.